Thomas becomes the sixth in-state player to verbally commit to the Rams, joining WR John Freismuth of Loveland, DB Shun Johnson of Denver South, RB Trey Smith of Douglas County and DB Marcus Wilson of Valor Christian.

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Gasper Dominici announced on Wednesday that he will be a preferred walk-on at Colorado State.

The Mullen quarterback indicated he was offered before the holiday break by the Rams.

The 6-foot-2, 186-pounder had his first year as a starter for the Mustangs in 2012 and led them to a 6-5 record under first-year coach Tom Thenell, a former Mustang who came over from Bear Creek after a 20-year run.

Dominici began the season with a 14-13 victory over Valor Christian, the eventual Class 5A champion and top-ranked team in The Denver Post coaches/media poll that had won 25 games in succession. He threw for 188 yatrds and two touchdowns in his first start. Read more…

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A picture of Centaurus' locker room, decorated, as posted by Emma Lazaroff on Twitter. "Happy playoffs," she wrote, "on to the quarterfinals."

They hadn’t played a late game all season long. So, from about the time they got off of school at 2 p.m. until their girls lacrosse second-round playoff game started at 7:30 last Thursday, they were left to their own devices.

Colorado State’s in-state football haul for the class of 2013 has added another kid. The latest addition is Bear Creek offensive lineman Jake Bennett, who committed to the Rams over the weekend.

“Nobody could really match kind of the intensity that they bring, and the positive attitude that they have toward the program,” Bennett told The Post today. “They also have (new head coach Jim) McElwain, which nobody else has.”

He said being close to home “was a factor. I didn’t want to go too far. But CSU was just the right place for me.”

The 6-foot-3, 265-pound Bennett is CSU’s second commit, following Grand Junction defensive end Austin Berk, who pledged on March 23.

Amanda Martinez had multiple offers to play Division I basketball next season. She also had Division II opportunities. But, come National Signing Day on Wednesday, Martinez will be signing at Division III Washington University in St. Louis.

Why?

“A lot of my friends have chosen to go D-I, and then, in a year or two, they end up transferring, because the school isn’t really what they want,” Martinez said Friday. “I feel like they got overclouded with the whole D-I scholarship athlete thing — you know, the glory. Once you get there, no one really is caring that much about how you feel about it.

“I know that I’m not going to play pro or anything, so academically-focused is definitely better in the long run,” she added later. “It’ll get me a better job in the future.”

Cherry Creek's Christian Rebhun, center, is upended during a game at Mullen. Rebhun committed to New Mexico on Sunday.

Ed.: Updated at 1:54 p.m. to include comment from Rebhun.

Christian Rebhun hadn’t had much communication with the new staff at New Mexico until two weeks ago. But, Sunday, after completing his official visit to the campus, the Cherry Creek tight end committed.

“I loved everything about it,” Rebhun said.

Especially, he said, the mountains. Upon arriving in Albuquerque, he was taken on a tram to the top of the 10,378-foot Sandia Peak.

“I’m a mountain guy, and seeing the snow and stuff, that made me happy,” he said.

Coppa, 64-43 in his career, led Cañon City to a dazzling 10-0 regular season that resulted in the top overall seed in the Class 3A playoffs. But his Tigers were stunned in the first round by No. 16 Frederick, 7-6. Frederick went on to top D’Evelyn and reach the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Windsor.

Air Force wasn’t Gavin McHenry’s first Division I offer. But it turned out to have the most impact.

McHenry, a Chaparral cornerback who committed to the Falcons last week, said he was initially skeptical about attending the service academy. But, after a series of visits, he learned more about the school, its campus, its traditions, and its football program. He came away impressed, and found the right fit.

“I had a wrong image of it,” McHenry said. “After finding out what it was really about there, that just told me what I needed to know, and definitely won me over. Not only is it for the great football, but for the career opportunities in the future after I gradate.”

A big part of McHenry’s commitment, he said, was Air Force coach Troy Calhoun.

Neil Devlin, originally from the Philadelphia area, has covered high school sports in Colorado for more than 30 years, writing about the people, athletes and events that encompass the Rocky Mountain prep sports world.